Planning officers recommend that York's big wheel be approved

A report to City of York Council’s planning committee concluded the 53-metre observation wheel in the Museum Gardens would harm the setting of York Minster and the city centre conservation area.

However, the report by assistant director city strategy Michael Slater said the harm would only be for a temporary period of two years and there would be permanent benefits which, on balance, made the structure acceptable.

He said a semi-derelict area to the rear of York Art Gallery would be landscaped and opened up to public access, providing an opportunity to “re-discover a forgotten and neglected part of the city’s heritage”, and the wheel would not have an undue impact on residential amenity.

The report, which will be considered by the committee next Thursday, said some 75 letters raising objections or concerns had been received, along with nine letters of support.

Residents claimed they would suffer overlooking and loss of privacy, and the height and close proximity to residential properties wheel meant it would have an overbearing impact. Some asked why it could not go back to the National Railway Museum, where it was last sited.

Groups raising concerns included the Dean and Chapter of York Minster – who have claimed the wheel would debase the skyline and spoil views of the cathedral – York Civic Trust, the York Georgian Society, the Green Party, Guildhall Planning Panel and the Conservation Areas Advisory Panel.

But Visit York said the structure would bring economic benefits, in particular by assisting with the city’s early evening economy, and would aid the expansion and improvement of the art gallery. Police said it would help overcome problems of crime and disorder in the area around the gallery and gardens.

The York Museums Trust has said if it won permission, it aimed to demolish semi-derelict huts behind the gallery and install the structure in time for Easter.

What a view for passengers!

The view from York Art Gallery near to the proposed site of the Yorkshire Wheel.

PLANS to site a big wheel behind York Art Gallery have provoked a vigorous debate in York.

Business chiefs said it was vital to York’s tourism economy, while critics, including York Minster officials and conservationists, claimed it would debase the city’s skyline and spoil views of the cathedral from across the Vale of York.

But what would the view be like for passengers on board the 53-metre observation wheel if planning permission is granted?

The Press asked to go up on to the roof of the gallery to get some idea of the scene – and this is the stunning picture our photographer Frank Dwyer captured after clambering up several ladders.

The Minster and Bootham Bar are viewed from an angle never seen before. But the roof is less than 20 metres high and the view from the top of the wheel would be even more spectacular.

York Museums Trust, which is seeking planning permission for the wheel, said the view was one of the finest in York, perfectly capturing the essence of the city.

“If the wheel is approved, it will offer thousands of people the chance to see this fantastic view but also one from a much higher vantage point, looking across the city and to the countryside beyond,” said a spokesman.